TheHawk1

Nice rant, but not really germane to my point. Booking show reservations has no cost attached to it, whether it's done online through the cruise planner or onboard through the ship's app. Since the introduction of Oasis of the Seas, people could pre-book their show reservations before their sailing. Then, when cruising resumed after the pandemic, that option was suddenly gone. I believe there are several online reports that Michael Bayley said don't expect things to go back to the way they were, with respect to booking shows. Why the change of heart now? My point is that Royal made this IT change using Covid as an excuse. Maybe it's just less hassle for Royal, but it's also a convenience for passengers that they've lost. If they're bringing it back now for some sailings, which costs them absolutely nothing btw, then great news.

Good to see you're an apologist for Royal. However, when I'm paying them a lot more than I used to for a cruise, I would expect to at least get the same service I used to receive, not less.

Great for you and others, but so unfair to those of us who sailed on Wonder in Europe this summer and had to wait until we were on board to book our shows on the stupid app. I wish Royal would get their act together and be consistent.

A fellow Canadian with no sense of humour... big surprise. It was tongue in cheek, so calm down.

Or if I were lawyer, perhaps I'd start a class action law suit. Sounds like age discrimination to me.

I can see the logic behind car rentals, as lots of jurisdictions have age restrictions on driving. But sitting on a bus or even walking on a guided tour shouldn't be limited based on your age.

This excursion is primarily a bus tour, so apart from getting on/off the bus, not sure what activity there would be that a 75 year old would be fine with, but the 80 year old wouldn't? Seems very arbitrary, but it certainly limits what excursions I'm able to book for my parents who are joining us on this cruise.

I was looking at recent shore excursions, specifically one called Panoramic St. Lucia, for a Feb. 2023 cruise and noticed an alert in the reservation window that says maximum age limit is 80 years old. I can understand having a minimum age for example if the tour wouldn't really be appropriate for children. But why would Celebrity (or the tour provider) have an upper age limit? I know some 80 years who are far healthier and more active than much younger people, so shouldn't the limiting criteria be mobility rather than age, if anything?

Coming from a country where people are packing heat just to go to the grocery store, then I’m sure someone guarding you with an assault rifle while you sip labadoozies on an island beach seems perfectly normal. For the rest of the world, not so much.

I took one of Royal's excursion to a private island adventure off the coast of Labadee. There was a guy with a machine gun guarding the island. It's not as safe as your jokes would have people believe.

So gangs of marauding war lords couldn't drive 5 hours if they wanted to? Any place that is encircled by barbed wire fences doesn't exactly scream carefree vacation. That being said, I've been to Labadee several times over the years and never felt unsafe. But it wouldn't be high on my list of itinerary places to visit.

If Wonder of the Seas is any indication, then the future trend is not looking good. While the Ice show and Aqua Show were still as good as previous Oasis class versions, the main theatre productions were not great (and that's being kind). It's been years since Royal promoted themselves as the "Broadway at Sea" cruise line. Now they're offering generic shows that are designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator, i.e the attention span of children.

Check out my recent review of changes in Wonder compared to other Oasis class ships after a recent September sailing: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2883536-changes-on-wonder-of-the-seas-compared-to-other-oasis-ships/#comment-64027215 But there are other Wonder changes as well from earlier ships like Oasis and Allure, e.g. having two smaller closets instead of one large one by the bathroom in an ocean balcony cabin is a big improvement for space

If you read the Celebrity board on here, I don't think they're popular at all. It's more like people don't have much choice if they want to book a balcony cabin on a new Edge class ship. I haven't seen any other cruise line copy this idea, so maybe not such the great innovation that Celebrity and now Royal think it is? But at least people will have options with Icon.

Right. Because the Infinite Veranda has been so popular over at Celebrity that they have decided to duplicate it here? I don't think the brain trust at Royal always hits it out of the ballpark.

Just got off a European cruise on Wonder of the Seas, where they are supposedly more fashionable than North Americans. There were shorts and tshirts in the MDR, even on formal night, and no one batted an eye. Not that I dress that way, but I don't judge others for doing so, as it doesn't really affect my vacation one way or the other.

Don't get me wrong, I like the product that Celebrity offers, even though my experience is limited to a couple cruises, with a couple more to follow in the next 18 months. And agree there is a vocal crowd on this forum that want cruising to remain in a time warp of how "grand" it used to be. But I still get the sense that Celebrity markets itself as more upscale and therefore attracts customers who believe that and therefore want to enforce that impression.

This is an example of what bothers me about Celebrity. Having been on more Royal cruises than Celebrity, I can say Royal is more of a "live and let live" type of experience, without being at the low bar of a Carnival cruise where virtually anything goes...I have no first hand knowledge there, just what I read or see on Youtube 🙂 While Celebrity has an upscale feel, with better service and food than other cruise lines, the downside to that is a higher percentage of fellow passengers who are pretentious snobs. They are quietly, or not so quietly, judging you about are you wearing the right clothes in the dining room, are you using the right fork, are you sniffing your wine glass before drinking, etc. That's an experience I tend to avoid on land, so certainly don't appreciate it when paying for a vacation at sea.

You use only your third post ever to complain about free speech on a public forum? Guess you missed the fact it's called Cruise Critic?

What’s this idea you have that Royal is moderately priced? Anything from an ocean balcony cabin and up has increased significantly post Covid. I’m okay to pay those prices, but not necessarily if it looks like one big theme park.

Absolutely. If I were ever to sail on it, I would avoid the Surfside "family" neighborhood at all costs and stick to the few adult only areas. Much of the design screams kids running amok at an amusement park, rather than upscale cruising. But I guess that's their target demographic these days.

You make some valid points, so I will wait to see what the finished product looks like. Besides, there are enough people on here excited about all the kiddie amenities so Royal has made that market segment happy apparently.

El Loco Fresh isn't really a restaurant. It's a self-serve eatery and the seating is all outside. It's also only open for breakfast and lunch, but the food is quite good, IMO.

When Oasis and Allure first debuted, there wasn't a water slide in sight. Or the giant purple monstrosity that showed up on Harmony. Or when Royal ditched their association with Universal, so we didn't have to endure Shrek character parades anymore. So yes, I had hoped there was going to be more of a balance of activities for young and old. But I can't help that you're confused.

I've actually been on all five Oasis class ships and usually have no problems finding areas where you can avoid all the rugrats onboard. I'm reserving judgement on the Icon until I actually see it, but the previews don't have me as excited as I had hoped. It is also a shame that Royal appears to want to take on Disney for the "family" market, at the expense of their other loyal, older customers... you know, the ones with all the money!